CLEVELAND, Ohio — Long before St. Ignatius’ Maxwell Friedrich was named Cleveland.com‘s Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year for a second year in a row, he was just another freshman for the Wildcats looking for a sport to call his own.

Four years ago, he was another incoming freshman at team orientation led by head coach Bob Wolf, who was looking for the best runners the school had to offer.

Friedrich recalled being at the meeting with his mother and buying into what coach Wolf was presenting to the team. A spot on the team could open the door to college scholarships, state championship appearances, and even travel with the team.

That night, he made up his mind that he was going to be one of the top runners as a freshman, which set him on a path to everything Wolf spoke about.

“The

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